1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a substrate processing method and apparatus, and particularly to such a method and apparatus well suited for improving the substrate alignment apparatus in an upright dispersion-CVD apparatus and enhancing the efficiency wherewith a substrate transfer apparatus is used
2. Description of the Related Art
In conventional upright dispersion-CVD apparatuses, when wafers inside a pod that is a substrate accommodating vessel are supplied to a boat, the notches of the wafers accommodated in the pod are not lined up, wherefore the notches are aligned with a notch alignment apparatus, and those aligned wafers are supplied to the boat. That is, the wafers in the pod, after the door of the pod is opened by a pod opener, are moved from the inside the pod and loaded into the notch alignment apparatus, by one wafer transfer device. The wafers that have been notch-aligned are moved and loaded into the boat from the notch alignment apparatus by the wafer transfer device. Then the boat is loaded into the reaction oven and a processing treatment is performed.
For example, the wafers in the pod are contained therein in 25-wafer units, and the wafer transfer device is normally made so as to be able to transport wafers in 5-wafer units at one time. Thus the notch alignment apparatus is also made so as to be able to perform notch alignment in 5-wafer units, and only one notch alignment apparatus that carries 5 wafers is incorporated, as a unit, in the upright dispersion-CVD apparatus. Because the configuration is as described here, the wafer moving and loading flow from the pod opener to the boat is such that 5 wafers are moved and loaded at one time into the notch alignment apparatus, the 5 wafers are notch-aligned simultaneously in the notch alignment apparatus, and, after that, the five notch-aligned wafers are transferred to the boat. This action is successively repeated until the requisite number of wafersxe2x80x94say 100 to 150 wafers, for examplexe2x80x94is transferred to the boat.
In a conventional substrate processing apparatus, as described in the foregoing, a single substrate transfer apparatus and a substrate alignment apparatus capable of performing substrate alignment processing on the same number of substrate as can be moved and loaded are used, the substrates are successively transferred to the substrate alignment apparatus by the substrate transfer apparatus, and alignment processing is performed. The result is a serial process wherein there is a waiting period until the alignment process has finished and then the next substrates are transferred to the substrate alignment apparatus and positioning is performed. For that reason, the substrate transfer apparatus waiting time is long, and substrate processing throughput does not improve.
An object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing method and apparatus wherewith, by raising the processing volume of the substrate alignment apparatus, the problems with the prior art noted in the foregoing are resolved, the substrate transfer apparatus waiting time can be reduced, and the throughput of the substrate process can be improved.
The substrate processing method described in claim 1 is a substrate processing method, comprising: providing a single substrate transfer apparatus and a substrate alignment apparatus, the substrate transfer apparatus being either for transporting at one time a plural number of substrates prior to notch or orientation flat alignment from a substrate accommodating container to the substrate alignment apparatus, or for transporting a plural number of substrates on which notch or orientation flat alignment has been performed from the substrate alignment apparatus to a boat, the substrate alignment apparatus being capable of performing notch or orientation flat alignment on a number of substrates that is twice or more of the number of substrates which the substrate transfer apparatus transports at one time; and setting a number of substrates on which notch or orientation flat alignment is performed at one time with the substrate alignment apparatus to the number of substrates which the substrate transfer apparatus transports at one time, the set number is fewer than the number of substrates on which the substrate alignment apparatus is capable of performing notch or orientation flat alignment; the method being designed so as to perform, in parallel: the notch or orientation flat alignment on substrates with the substrate alignment apparatus wherein the number of substrates on which the notch or orientation flat alignment is performed at one time is set in such a way: and either the transporting of substrates by the single substrate transfer apparatus prior to the notch or orientation flat alignment from the substrate accommodating container to the substrate alignment apparatus, or the transporting of substrates on which the notch or orientation flat alignment has been performed from the substrate alignment apparatus to the boat.
Transporting, as used here, has a broad meaning that includes, in addition to moving and loading, that is, the operation of moving substrates from one location to another location and loading them, substrate removal, from a substrate loading location, simple transporting that simply moves substrates to another location, and the operation of loading the substrates moved to another location at that location, etc that are respectively one of series of actions necessary in moving substrates to another location. The term xe2x80x9cin parallel,xe2x80x9d moreover, is used in a broad sense that includes both cases where the two parallel operations at issue chronologically overlap and cases where they do not so overlap, where such overlapping also includes cases of partial overlapping.
In the substrate processing method of claim 1, three methods are comprehended, as diagrammed in FIGS. 3A,3B and 3C. The first method is a method wherewith the transporting of substrates prior to notch or orientation flat alignment from a substrate accommodating container to a substrate alignment apparatus is performed in parallel with the operation of notch or orientation flat alignment (cf. FIG. 3A).The second method is a method wherewith the transporting of substrates on which notch or orientation flat alignment have been performed from the substrate alignment apparatus to the boat is performed in parallel with notch or orientation flat alignment (cf. FIG. 3B). And the third method is a method wherewith the transporting of substrates prior to notch or orientation flat alignment from the substrate accommodating container to the substrate alignment apparatus, the transporting of the substrates on which notch or orientation flat alignment has been performed from the substrate alignment apparatus to the boat, and the notch and orientation flat alignments are performed in parallel (of. FIG. 3C).
In order to make it possible for the substrate alignment apparatus to perform notch or orientation flat alignment on a number of substrates that is twice or more than the number of substrates that are transported at one time by one substrate transfer apparatus, the portion that performs the notch or orientation flat alignment of the substrate alignment apparatus is configured of a plurality of portions that act mutually independently, making provision so that the total number of notch or orientation flat alignments performed by that plurality of portions is a number for which it is possible to perform the substrate notch or orientation flat alignment. Alternatively, the problem can be dealt with merely by simply establishing more portions that perform the notch or orientation flat alignment of the substrate alignment apparatus. In the latter case, the increased portions will exhibit dependent action with the portions prior to the increase, and independent action cannot be effected. By independent action here is meant that, even when a plurality of portions is operated independently, there is no mutual interference between the plurality of portions, while dependent action means that interference does occur. Accordingly, with independent action, even if one portion of a plurality of portions is currently operating, substrates can be moved and loaded into other portions, whereas that cannot be done in the case of dependent action.
As in the present invention, the number of substrates on which notch or orientation flat alignments are performed at one time by the substrate alignment apparatus is set to the number of substrates that are transported at one time by one substrate transfer apparatus, that being a number that is smaller than the maximum number on which notch or orientation flat alignment can be performed by the substrate alignment apparatus (i.e. a number twice or more than the number of substrates that are transported at one time by the substrate transfer apparatus). Therefore, openings occur in the substrate alignment apparatus during the notch or orientation flat alignment of substrates. To the portion or portions where such openings have occurred, substrates that have yet to be subjected to notch or orientation flat alignment can be transported, within such range as that the notch or orientation flat alignment operation is not interfered with. Accordingly, the substrate transfer apparatus waiting time will be reduced, and the number of substrates positioned during a prescribed time for the number of substrates on which notch or orientation flat alignments are performed can be increased. As a result, the substrate transfer apparatus utilization efficiency is improved, and the substrate processing throughput is improved.
The substrate processing method described in claim 2 is a substrate processing method, comprising: providing a single substrate transfer apparatus and a plural number of independently operating substrate alignment units, the substrate transfer apparatus being either for transferring at one time a plural number of substrates prior to notch or orientation flat alignment, from a substrate accommodating container to the substrate alignment units, or for transferring a plural number of substrates on which notch or orientation flat alignment has been performed from the substrate alignment units to a boat, the substrate alignment units being capable of performing notch or orientation flat alignment, in total, on a number of substrates that is twice or more of the number of substrates which the substrate transfer apparatus transports at one time; the method being designed such that, in parallel with performing the notch or orientation flat alignment on the substrates with one of the substrate alignment units, using the substrate transfer apparatus, substrates prior to notch or orientation flat alignment are transferred from the substrate accommodating container to other unit or units of the substrate alignment units, or substrates on which notch or orientation flat alignment has been performed with other unit or units of the substrate alignment units are transferred from the other unit or units of the substrate alignment units to the boat.
This substrate processing method comprises three methods, as diagrammed in FIGS. 4A,4B and 4C. The first method is a method wherewith, in parallel with the performing of substrate notch or orientation flat alignment with the one unit of the substrate alignment units, substrates prior to notch or orientation flat alignment are transported to the other unit or units of the substrate alignment units (cf. FIG. 4A). The second method is a method wherewith, in parallel with the performing of substrate notch or orientation flat alignment with the one unit of the substrate alignment units, substrates on which notch or orientation flat alignment have been performed are removed from the other unit or units of the substrate alignment units and transported to the boat (cf. FIG. 4B). And the third method is a method wherewith, in parallel with the performing of substrate notch or orientation flat alignment with the one unit, substrates on which notch or orientation that alignment have been performed are removed from the other unit or units and transported to the boat, and, concurrently therewith, substrates prior to notch or orientation flat alignment are transported to the other unit or units (cf. FIG. 4C).
Because a plurality of independently operating substrate alignment units are provided, while the one unit is performing notch or orientation flat alignment, substrates prior to notch or orientation flat alignment can be transported to currently waiting the other unit or units that is not performing notch or orientation flat alignment, without waiting for the notch or orientation flat alignment to be completed by the one unit. Also, while the one unit is performing notch or orientation flat alignment, the substrates already subjected to notch or orientation flat alignment by the other unit or units can be removed and transported to the boat. Accordingly, substrates can be alternately transferred to two substrate alignment units, notch or orientation flat alignment can be alternately performed, and substrates on which notch or orientation flat alignment has been performed can be alternately removed and can be successively transferred to the boat, wherefore substrate processing throughput is improved.
The substrate processing method described in claim 3, as diagrammed in FIG. 4C, is the substrate processing method according to claim 2, wherein, using the substrate transfer apparatus, after substrates on which notch or orientation flat alignment has been performed with the other unit or units of the substrate alignment units are transferred from the other unit or units of the substrate alignment units to the boat, substrates prior to notch or orientation flat alignment are transferred from the substrate accommodating container to the other unit or units of the substrate alignment units. According to the present invention, the transfer of substrates prior to notch or orientation flat alignment that is the first operation in the processing cycle is performed after the transfer of the substrates on which notch or orientation flat alignment has been performed to the boat, which is the final operation in the processing cycle. Therefore, it becomes possible to use a single substrate transfer apparatus efficiently, and to improve substrate processing throughput.
The substrate processing method described in claim 4 is the substrate processing method according to claim 2, wherein, the notch or orientation flat alignment by the one of the substrate alignment units and the notch or orientation flat alignment by the other unit or units are performed while being allowed to partially overlap. Based on the present invention, the notch or orientation flat alignment by the one of the substrate alignment units and the notch or orientation flat alignment by the other unit or units are performed while being allowed to partially overlap, wherefore it becomes possible to further improve throughput in substrate processing, compared to when these notch or orientation flat alignments are set to be performed without being allowed to overlap.
The substrate processing method described in claim 5 is a substrate processing method, comprising: providing a single substrate transfer apparatus and a substrate alignment apparatus, the substrate transfer apparatus being for transporting at one time a plural number of substrates either from a substrate accommodating container to the substrate alignment apparatus or from the substrate alignment apparatus to a boat, the substrate alignment apparatus having a plurality of dependently operating regions being capable of performing notch or orientation flat alignment, in total, on a number of substrates that is twice or more of the number of substrates which the substrate transfer apparatus transports at one time; the method being designed such that, in parallel with performing the notch or orientation flat alignment on substrates with one of the plurality of regions, using the substrate transfer apparatus, substrates prior to notch or orientation flat alignment are transferred from the substrate accommodating container to other region of the plurality of regions, or substrates, discharged from the other region, on which notch or orientation flat alignment has been performed by the other region are transferred to the boat.
This substrate processing method comprises three methods, as diagrammed in FIGS. 5A,5B and 5C. The first method is a method wherewith, in parallel with the performing of substrate notch or orientation flat alignment with the one region, the transporting of the substrates prior to notch or orientation flat alignment to the other region are performed (cf. FIG. 5A). The second method is a method wherewith, in parallel with the performing of substrate notch or orientation flat alignment with the one region, substrates on which notch or orientation flat alignment have been performed and discharged from the other region are transported to the boat (cf. FIG. 5B). And the third method is a method wherewith, in parallel with the performing of substrate notch or orientation flat alignment with the one region, substrates on which notch or orientation flat alignment have been performed and discharged from the other region are transported to the boat, and, concurrently therewith, the transporting of the substrates prior to notch or orientation flat alignment to the other region is performed (cf. FIG. 5C).
According to the present invention, the substrate alignment apparatus comprises a plurality of regions that operate dependently, wherefore, if notch or orientation flat alignment have been performed alternately using the plurality of regions, substrates on which notch or orientation flat alignment has been performed can be left in one region and the next substrates removed beforehand from the substrate accommodating container and prior to notches or orientation flat alignment can be loaded in the other region that is empty. Also, two operations that do not interfere with the notch or orientation flat alignment operation can be performed while notch or orientation flat alignment is being done in the one region or the other region, namely the loading of substrates removed from the substrate alignment apparatus into the boat, and the removal of substrates from the substrate accommodating container. Accordingly, the substrate transfer apparatus wait time is reduced, and substrate processing throughput can be improved.
The substrate processing method described in claim 6, as diagrammed in FIG. 5C, is the substrate processing method according to claim 5, wherein, using the substrate transfer apparatus, after substrates, discharged from the other region, on which notch or orientation flat alignment has been performed by the other region are transported from the other region to the boat, substrates prior to notch or orientation flat alignment are transported from the substrate accommodating container to the other region. Based on the present invention, the transport of substrates prior to notch or orientation flat alignment that is the first operation in the processing cycle is performed after the transfer of the substrates on which notch or orientation flat alignment has been performed to the boat, which is the final operation in the processing cycle. Therefore, it becomes possible to use a single substrate transfer apparatus efficiently, and to improve substrate processing throughput.
The substrate processing method described in claim 7 is the substrate processing method according to claim 5, wherein the transporting of substrates prior to notch or orientation flat alignment from the substrate accommodating container to the other region by the substrate transfer apparatus is performed by taking out substrates prior to notch or orientation flat alignment from the substrate accommodating container and transporting these substrates to vicinity of the other region; and the method is designed such that, after notch or orientation flat alignment of substrates in the one region, the substrates taken out from the substrate accommodating container and transported to the vicinity of the other region are loaded into the other region.
This substrate processing method comprises two methods, as diagrammed in FIGS. 6A and 6B. The first method is a method wherewith, in transporting substrates prior to notch or orientation flat alignment to the other region, in parallel with performing substrate notch or orientation flat alignment in the one region, the transporting of these substrates is an operation that extends from the removal of substrates prior to notch or orientation flat alignment from the substrate accommodating container to the transporting thereof to the vicinity of the other region, after which, the timing of the loading of the substrates prior to notch or orientation flat alignment in the other region is set after the substrate notch or orientation flat alignment in the one region (cf. FIG. 6A). The second method is a method wherewith, when performing the transporting of substrates prior to notch or orientation flat alignment to the other region, after transferring substrates, on which notches or orientation flats alignment has been performed, discharged from the other region to the boat, in parallel with the performing of substrate notch or orientation flat alignment in one region, the transporting of these substrates is an operation extending from the removal of substrates prior to notch or orientation flat alignment from the substrate accommodating container to the transporting thereof to the vicinity of the other region, whereafter, the timing of the loading of the substrates prior to notch or orientation flat alignment in the other region is set after the substrate notch or orientation flat alignment in the one region (cf. FIG. 6B).
Based on the present invention, during the substrate notch or orientation flat alignment in the one region, the loading of the substrates prior to notch or orientation flat alignment removed beforehand from the substrate accommodating container in the other region is performed after the substrate notch or orientation flat alignment in the one region, wherefore the loading of the substrates prior to notch or orientation flat alignment in the other region can be performed with the substrates on which notch or orientation flat alignments has been performed in the one region left remaining. Accordingly, compared to when notch or orientation flat aligned substrates present in the one region is first cleared out and then the loading of substrates to the other region is performed, the notch or orientation flat alignment of substrates in the other region can be performed quickly. As a result, the substrate transfer apparatus can be utilized more efficiently, and substrate processing throughput can be improved.
The substrate processing method described in claim 8, as diagrammed in FIG. 7, is a substrate processing method, comprising: providing a single substrate transfer apparatus and a substrate alignment apparatus, the substrate transfer apparatus being for transferring at one time a plural number of substrates either from a substrate accommodating container to the substrate alignment apparatus or from the substrate alignment apparatus to a boat, the substrate alignment apparatus having a plurality of dependently operating regions being capable of performing notch or orientation flat alignment, in total, on a number of substrates that is twice or more of the number of substrates which the substrate transfer apparatus transports at one time; taking out substrates prior to notch or orientation flat alignment by the substrate transfer apparatus from the substrate accommodating container and loading these substrates into one region of the plurality of regions of the substrate alignment apparatus; performing notch or orientation flat alignment on the substrates by the one region of the substrate alignment apparatus: taking out substrates prior to next notch or orientation flat alignment from the substrate accommodating container by the substrate transfer apparatus during notch or orientation flat alignment in the one region; after completing the notch or orientation flat alignment of the substrates in the one regions, loading the substrates, which have been taken out for a next notch or orientation flat alignment, into other region of the plurality of regions; after loading the substrates into the other region, taking out the substrates, on which notch or orientation flat alignment has been performed in the one region, from the one region; after taking out the substrates from the one regions, performing notch or orientation flat alignment on the substrates by the other region; and transporting the substrates taken out from the one region to the boat, during notch or orientation flat alignment in the other region.
Here, the timing wherewith substrates are removed beforehand from the substrate accommodating container by the substrate transfer apparatus is set during the notch or orientation flat alignment. Provision is made so that the following happens. During the notch or orientation flat alignment in the one region, the next substrates prior to notch or orientation flat alignment are removed from the substrate accommodating container. After the notch or orientation flat alignment in the one region is finished, the removed next substrates prior to notch or orientation flat alignment are loaded into the other region. After the loading into the other region, the substrates on which notch or orientation flat alignments has been performed in the one region are removed from the one region. After the removal from the one region, notch or orientation flat alignment is performed in the other region. And, during the notch or orientation flat alignment in the other region, the substrates removed from the one region are loaded into the boat. Therefore, even if the one region in the substrate alignment apparatus operates in dependence on the other region, the substrate transfer apparatus waiting time is reduced, the substrate transfer apparatus is used efficiently, and substrate processing throughput can be improved.
The substrate processing apparatus described in the invention is a substrate processing apparatus comprising: a single substrate transfer apparatus; a plural number of substrate alignment units; and a controller; wherein the substrate transfer apparatus is for transferring a plural number of substrates at one time either from the substrate accommodating container to the substrate alignment units or from the substrate alignment units to a boat; the substrate alignment units are for independently performing notch or orientation flat alignment on a plural number of substrates which have been transported by the substrate transfer apparatus; and the controller performs a control so that, in parallel with performing the notch or orientation flat alignment on substrates by one unit of the substrate alignment units, substrates prior to notch or orientation flat alignment are transferred to other unit or units of the substrate alignment units, or substrates on which notch or orientation flat alignment has been performed by other unit or units of the substrate alignment units are transferred from the other unit or units of the substrate alignment units to the boat. Based on the present invention, the methods described in claims 2, 3 and 4 can be implemented suitably by a simple structure.
The substrate processing method described in the invention is a substrate processing apparatus comprising: a single substrate transfer apparatus; a substrate alignment apparatus; and a controller; wherein the substrate transfer apparatus is for transporting a plural number of substrates at one time either from the substrate accommodating container to the substrate alignment apparatus or from the substrate alignment apparatus to a boat; the substrate alignment apparatus has a plurality of regions for performing notch or orientation flat alignment on a plural number of substrates which have been transported by the substrate transfer apparatus; and the controller performs a control so that, in parallel with performing the notch or orientation flat alignment on substrates by one region of the plurality of regions, using the substrate transfer apparatus, substrates prior to notch or orientation flat alignment are transported from the substrate accommodating container to other region of the plurality of regions, or substrates, discharged out from the other region, on which notch or orientation flat alignment has been performed by the other region are transported to the boat. Based on the present invention, the methods described in claims 5, 6, 7 and 8 can be implemented suitably by a simple structure.